Apparatus for combining air conditioner and pool heater

ABSTRACT

A heat exchange system for use with an air conditioning system having a condenser unit and a water heating system having an evaporator unit is disclosed. The system comprises a housing for locating the evaporator unit of the water heating system and the condenser unit of the air conditioning system above one another and in communication therewith. The housing may have one or more adjustable openings and the system includes a control unit for controlling the opening and closing of the adjustable openings in order to control the transfer of heat from the evaporator unit to the control unit.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to apparatus for combining an existing airconditioning system with an existing pool heater system in order toimprove the efficiency of the air condition within the house therebysaving operating expenses in both areas.

PRIOR ART

A preliminary search has brought to light a number of prior patentsrelating to efficiently heating swimming pools. For example, U.S. Pat.No. 3,926,008 (Weber) shows a water-cooled condenser coil which isplaced in the pool itself. An air conditioning system for a houseincludes an evaporator within the house, and external compressor, andexternal air cooled condenser and a fan for the air cooled condenser.Thermostatically controlled valves are provided for connecting thecompressor directly to the air-cooled condenser and bypassing thewater-cooled condenser when the water body temperature increases to apredetermined level.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,472 (Guilbault) discloses the combination of apool heater installed on a commercially available residential heat pumpin order to add swimming pool heating to the basic functions of the heatpump i.e. heating and cooling of a dwelling.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,216 (Holmes) discloses a combination air conditionerand pool heater which utilises a coaxial heat exchanger coil in order tointegrate the dwelling air condition with the pool heater.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus which willenable a conventional dwelling air conditioner to be combined with aswimming pool heat pump system without requiring modification to eitherthe air conditioner or the heat pump system.

The present invention provides a heat exchange system for use with anair conditioning system having a condenser unit and a water heatingsystem having an evaporator unit, the system comprising a housing forlocating the evaporator unit of the water heating system and thecondenser unit of the air conditioning system above one another and incommunication therewith, the housing having one or more adjustableopenings and being provided with a control unit for controlling theopening and closing of the adjustable openings in order to control thetransfer of heat from the evaporator unit to the control unit.

The present invention comprises a housing within which the evaporatorwhich is part of the heat pump system for the swimming pool is mountedabove the condenser unit which is part of the dwelling air condition.The housing is fitted with electrically controlled slats and/or fans anda temperature sensitive control system for promoting the passage of airfrom the condenser to the evaporator. An advantage of the abovearrangement is that because both the heat pump system for heating thepool and the air conditioner for cooling the dwelling are entirelyconventional, they can be purchased separately and require no specialplumbing or alteration in order to be combined. Additionally, the amountof electricity consumed in order to run both systems is reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically apparatus according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 shows a modification to the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

Before describing the invention in detail, it is thought beneficial toset out the normal components of a conventional domestic air conditioneras well as a conventional heat pump swimming pool heater.

A conventional house air conditioner comprises an evaporator unit insidethe building, the evaporator unit comprising an evaporator coil and aninternal fan for blowing air across the evaporator coil to dischargecool air into the house. A condensing unit is located outside thebuilding and normally comprises a compressor, an air-cooled coil and anexternal fan directing air across the air cooled coil. Basically, theair conditioner operates by the evaporator unit inside the buildingextracting heat from within the house by evaporating a refrigerant fluidsuch as Freon which is circulated back to the condensing unit locatedoutside the building where the compressor together with the air-cooledcoil compresses the Freon vapour into Freon liquid which is thencirculated back into the building.

A heat pump water heating system operates in the identical but reversedfashion. In this case, the evaporator unit is located outside theswimming pool in the normal environment and large quantities of warm airare drawn through the evaporator coils by a high powered fan. Arefrigerant, such as Freon, inside the evaporator coils absorbs the hatfrom the drawn-in air changing the Freon liquid into warm Freon gas. Thewarm Freon gas is then passed through a compressor which compresses orreduces the volume of gas while substantially increasing itstemperature. This compressed hot Freon gas is then pumped through theouter casing of a Freon to water heater exchanger where it releases itsheat to the water to be heated which is passing through the inner casingof the heat exchanger. The now warm water is released into the pool orspa for re-circulation through the heat pump until the desiredtemperature is reached. The Freon gas condenses back into a liquid stateand is pumped through the system back to the evaporator coils to repeatthe cycle.

Turning now to FIG. 1, it will be seen that an evaporator unit 10 of aheat pump swimming pool heater is mounted on a grill 11 and immediatelyabove a condenser unit 12 of a domestic air conditioner. The evaporator10 and condenser 12 are located within a housing generally indicated bythe reference numeral 20. The sidewalls of the housing 20 are providedwith adjustable louvers of slats 21 which are controlled by anelectronic control system 30 which will be described in more detaillater. A top surface of the housing 20 is provided with an electricallyoperated fan or louvers 22 which once more are connected to theelectronic control system 30. The grill 11 permits air flow between thecondenser 12 and evaporator 10.

The interior and exterior temperature of the housing 20 is sensed byseparate temperature sensing devices and it is preferred to use stripsensors arranged vertically for this purpose. These sensors run theheight of the unit both internally and externally and providetemperature control signals to the electronic control unit 30.

The control unit 30 is also responsive as to when the heat pump isrequired or is operating as well as when the air conditioner is requiredor operating. It then provides suitable control signals for operatingindividual louvers or groups of louvers so as to open and close thesidewalls of the housing 20 as well as the fan or louvers in the topsurface 22. In this way, when the air conditioner can create air flow ata temperature above the local air temperature in the environment aroundthe housing 20, then the louvers are adjusted to enforce the convectionprinciple within the housing. Conversely, when the air temperatureoutside the housing is sufficiently high, the louvers can be opened inorder to provide additional evaporation in the evaporator 10.

The controlled louvers may be replaced in whole or in part by a fan orfans depending on the efficiency of the existing fans built into thecondenser and computer units located in the housing.

FIG. 2 shows a modification to the basic housing 20 shown in FIG. 1 andthe same reference numerals are used to refer to the same parts. Thecontrol unit is not shown but will be present in practice.

In FIG. 2, an air deflector is located above the heat pump evaporatorunit 10. The deflector is in the form of an inverted mushroom-shapedblock 24 of material and assists in the flow of colder air circulatingback to the lower part of the housing 20.

If desired, a similar block 25 can be provided above the air conditionercondenser 12 in order to promote circulation of hot air up the sides ofthe evaporator 10 through the grill 11.

It is also preferred to provide an internal baffle or baffles 26 betweenthe condenser 12 and evaporator 10 but spaced therefrom in order tocontain hot air as it rises from the condenser 12 and to create anannular passageway between the baffles 26 and the walls of the housingfor the colder air as it circulates back to the bottom of the housing.

The baffle or baffles 26 in the vicinity of the evaporator 10 can beprovided with electrically controlled louvers 27, if desired.

It will be appreciated that many modifications may be made to theconstructions as set out above. For example, the fan or electric louvers22 shown to be in the top surface of the housing 20 can in fact belocated within the housing 20 so that the fan can be used to force airleaving the top of the heat pump evaporator through a duct and back tothe bottom of the housing to a position under the air conditionercondenser in order to promote convection within the unit 20 itself.Alternatively, it may be possible to run the fan in reverse so that airfrom the heat pump evaporator is forced down into the air conditionercondenser.

It is also possible to operate the apparatus according to the presentinvention including the control unit 30 from a separate power supply forexample one that utilises solar or wind power. In this way, theapparatus could be manufactured so as to be totally self contained.

1. A heat exchange system for use with an air conditioning system having a condenser unit and a water heating system having an evaporator unit, the system comprising a housing for locating the evaporator unit of the water heating system and the condenser unit of the air conditioning system above one another and in communication therewith, the housing having one or more adjustable openings and being provided with a control unit for controlling the opening and closing of the adjustable openings in order to control the transfer of heat from the evaporator unit to the control unit.
 2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable openings are in the form of louvers.
 3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable openings are in the form of fans.
 4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable openings are in the form of a combination of louvers and fans.
 5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the housing is provided with temperature sensors which are connected to the control unit.
 6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the housing is provided with a block of material above the evaporator unit to promote the circulation of cooler air exiting the unit.
 7. A system according to claim 1, wherein internal baffles are provided for channelling air leaving the condenser unit to be received by the evaporator unit.
 8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the internal baffles form an internal passageway between the baffles and the housing for circulation of cooler air. 